Nasal sprays are often preferred over other methods of patient medicament administration such as oral administration, time-release administration or injections where fast patient relief from sudden discomfort associated with nausea and vomiting is the patient's prime consideration.
In situations like those addressed by our invention such as patients suffering from the effects of chemotherapy, migraine headaches, sea sickness, travel (or air) sickness, pregnancy, immediate relief from sudden discomfort associated with nausea and vomiting is necessary and desirable.
Oral introduction of the medicament into the patient's system also takes a significant time to enter the patient's system and bring relief.
Once the time-release medication becomes effective there is administration of medication for a period of time until the medicament is exhausted.
Similarly, administration by injection has drawbacks including the fact that is not usually obtainable quickly enough when needed in the above situations.
An injection brings relief as the medicament spreads into the patient's system until the medicamant is exhausted. An injection does not provide the time-release advantage of medication over a period of time. Another injection may have to be administered later to maintain the therapeutic effect of the medication.
Nasal spray introduction of medicament in an aqueous carrier has the advantage of rapid release into the patient's system to address the needs of those suffering from the above medical situations. However, like injections or oral administration after the medicament is introduced, it produces relief only for a definite period of time until the medicament is expelled from the nasal passages by simply sneezing or vomiting and has to be re-administered.
One of the major hindrances to effective systematic absorption of medications in the nose is due to anatomical features of the epithelium within the nasal cavity. The constant beating off the nasal cilia causes the mucus film to move towards the nasopharynx. This action, in about 8 to 10 minutes, will remove the medicantament from the nasal mucosa reducing the time for effective systematic absorption. The use of thickening, gelling and mucoadhesive agents tends to increase residence on nasal mucosa and therefore increase absorption.
There is a need for a nasal spray of a medicament in an aqueous carrier which rapidly addresses the immediate needs of those suffering from sudden discomfort associated with nausea or vomiting caused by chemotherapy migraine headaches, seasickness, travel sickness, pregnancy and the effects of chemotherapy which provides relief over a more extended period of time than the prior art.